Despite missing out on Manchester United full-back Donald Love, Simon Grayson has told the Lancashire Evening Postthat Preston's pursuit of the now Sunderland-bound player shows the club's ambition.

The Lilywhites are in the market for a new right sided defender following an injury to Calum Woods, who is set to miss the rest of the season due to damaged knee ligaments.

Grayson had earmarked Manchester United's Love as an ideal replacement, and despite agreeing a fee for the Scottish Under-21 international, it has now been reported by Sky Sports that he and teammate Paddy McNair are off to join David Moyes' Sunderland.

Preston North End's Calum Woods is out for the season

Sky Sports suggest a fee of around £5.5 million has been agreed between United and the Black Cats, as the two defenders seek to become reunited with former Old Trafford boss Moyes.

But despite disappointment at missing out on his preferred target, Preston boss Grayson has said that their pursuit of a now a Premier League bound player shows the club's ambition in the transfer market.

Manchester United's Donald Love had been linked with a move to Preston

"We were in the market for the player and had a figure agreed with his club but someone else has taken him off our toes in the division above." Grayson said of Love.

“It shows the level of what we are out there looking at. There are players out there who we could bring in now but they wouldn’t improve us in the long term.

“We wanted to wait for the right one and unfortunately that right one is going somewhere else.”

Donald Love, centre, has made one league appearance for Manchester United

Peter Rutzler

Peter is a Cambridge undergrad claiming to be studying for a History degree, despite spending a disproportionate amount of time watching and writing about football. He has written extensively for other sites and currently co-hosts a football radio show. A disillusioned Forest fan, he finds Leicester's remarkable rise deeply distressing and he sleeps next to a copy of 'I Believe in Miracles' to help numb the pain. He also owns his own football club, AFC Whitton. So he's a bit like Roman Abramovich, but swamped in student debt.